World's Finest Vol 1 223

"Superman and Batman: "Wipe the Blood Off My Name"": When several people turn up killed with special boomerangs in Gotham City, the GCPD and Batman start investigating the case of the "Boomerang Killer". During his investigations, Batman comes across [[Boston

Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "Wipe the Blood Off My Name"

When several people turn up killed with special boomerangs in Gotham City, the GCPD and Batman start investigating the case of the "Boomerang Killer". During his investigations, Batman comes across Deadman, and they both work together to find the killer. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is assigned to cover the events of the murders in Gotham for the Galaxy Communications channel. Like this, Superman becomes involved in the case and he assists Batman in his investigation.

Superman manages to prevent a couple of murders by the Boomerang Killer and he delivers the evidence he found at each crime scene to the GCPD Headquarters. Batman and Deadman use some of that evidence to track down a man to a mental facility called Willowwood Sanitarium, where they expect to find information about the killer. However, Batman is shocked when he learns the truth about the killer and Superman becomes suspicious when Batman starts protecting the killer. When the Man of Steel asks the Dark Knight why is he protecting the killer, Batman reveals that the killer is in fact his lost elder brother, Thomas Wayne, Jr.

Batman learned that Thomas was three years older than him, but during his early childhood he suffered an accident that left him with permanent brain damage and he had to be locked in Willowwood, for his and society's safety. Unfortunately, Thomas had escaped a few week ago and he was free and apparently has turned into a killer. Batman and Superman track down Thomas Jr., but Batman asks Deadman to take control of Superman's body to prevent him from taking his brother to prison without giving him a chance of redemption. With Superman incapacitated, Batman tries to talk sense into his brother, but he is unable to reason with him, but he lears that Thomas has been forced to forge the killer boomerangs, because of his forgery skill learned while in Willwwood. With this new information, Batman realizes that Thomas is not the Boomerang Killer. At that moment, Deadman is attacked by a mysterious man, who demolish the place where Batman and Thomas are located. Releasing Superman, the man of steel manages to stop the criminal, who is killed by his own wrecking ball. Superman then starts searching for the bodies of Batman and Thomas Jr. among the rubble, but he is only able to find Batman. Unknown to them, Deadman had taken possession of Thomas Jr.'s body and he is willing to use it to start a new life.

Synopsis for Deadman: "An Eye for an Eye"

Jeff Carling, Lorna's half-brother and part-owner of Hill's Circus, insured Boston Brand's life for $10,000 before Brand's recent demise. Against his sister's wishes, he takes the money from the safe to make a blackmail payment to Morty, the leader of Jeff's motorcycle club. It is revealed that Jeff undertook a contract to kill another gang boy, Lenny Deane, and Morty is blackmailing Jeff with a photo of him holding the rifle which was used to kill Deane. Initially, Deadman suspects Jeff of not only shooting Deane, but him too. But he discards both theories when he discovers that Jeff couldn't be in two places at once, and his rifle wasn't capable of making the shot that killed Deane. After solving the murder case, Deadman brings Morty to the cops where he makes him confess to Deane's killing. Jeff is later cleared of any wrong doing.

Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Reversed Heroes"

When reports about a villain with super-powers on a crime spree in the suburb of Centerville Clark Kent decides to go an investigate as Superman. Sure enough when he arrives on the scene of a bank robbery, Superman is shocked to find that there is indeed a crook that has powers that are exactly the same as his own.

After following the crook back to his hideout he learns that the criminal is named Elton Craig. He pulls out a chunk of Kryptonite that is stuck on some sort of metal box to weaken Superman. Craig explains that he posed as an astronomer to try and find some Kryptonite to use against Superman in his criminal endeavors and found something even better: A box containing capsules invented by Jor-El to give Superman super-human powers if his original powers were temporarily taken away. Superman uses his super-memory to recall back to his childhood and remembers his father making these pills before Krypton exploded, however in the ensuing chaos forgot to load them into the rocket that brought baby Kal-El to the planet Earth. Although the box is now radioactive Kryptonite, Craig is immune to it due to the fact that he is not a Kryptonian. Elton then leaves Superman to die from the rays of Kryptonite while he goes to commit more spectacular crimes.

Quick thinking, Superman uses his x-ray vision to break open a water pipe and let the water wash away the Kryptonite. Needing a strength boost, Superman takes one of the pills and realizes to his horror that is was coated with Kryptonite dust and has temporarily stripped him of his powers. Superman calls Batman and Robin for help by phone and they travel to Metropolis, where Superman explains everything. Deciding that they should deal with Craig using his own tactics, Superman gives two of the pills to Batman and Robin, giving them powers that match Superman's.

While Superman attempts to deal without having his powers, Batman and Robin find that using their new found abilities is not as easy as one would think. After stopping a number of disasters, and an unsuccessful clash with Elton Craig, Superman manages to track down Craig's hideout. When Craig returns and attempts to attack Superman, he finds that his powers have faded. However, with Superman still being powerless, Craig pulls out a gun and shoots Superman. When Lois, Batman and Robin arrive they are horrified to find Superman seemingly shot dead. However, before they can apprehend Craig, Superman gets up and reveals that while he was stripped of his powers, his costume remained invulnerable, so that when the bullet hit him it did nothing more but knock him out.

With his powers fully restored, Superman then helps Batman and Robin apprehend Craig. Later, Batman and Superman get a good laugh as Robin attempts to fly after the pill's effects have worn off. Superman trusts Batman to keep the pills safe in the Batcave where nobody can abuse them.

Synopsis for Aquaman: "The Sunken City of Gold"

An underwater quake appears to reveal a city of gold to a diver, and Aquaman is asked to lead a group of diving-suited scientists to investigate it. When they near the city, they are met by a group of what appear to be fish-men, who are nonetheless frightened back by the sight of an air-gun in Aquaman's hands. The sea king chases them to the surface, where the “creatures” unmask, reveal themselves as human thieves, and are captured by the rest of the expedition. However, Aquaman tells them that the “city of gold” is neither a city, nor gold, just glittering fossil remains.

Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Composite Superman"

When Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson go down to the Batcave in order to respond to the Bat-Signal, they are shocked to find a message in the Batcave from some unknown intruder telling the Dynamic Duo that they know all their secrets and orders them to appear at Black Mountain the next day at noon. When Superman visits his Fortress of Solitude, he finds that the Fortress has been entered and a similar note has been left for him to find as well.

The next day they are shocked when they are confronted by a being that is half Superman and half Batman. Calling himself the Composite Superman he shows off that he has the powers of all the current members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Using his telepathy, the Composite Superman had learned the secret identities of both Batman and Superman and has come to blackmail the two heroes into allowing Composite Superman become their third partner. However, instead of working with the two heroes, the Composite Superman instead works to upstage them in an attempt to prove that he is better than the world's greatest detective and the Man of Steel.

Unknown to the heroes is that Composite Superman is in reality Joe Meach, an utter failure in life who wanted nothing more but to be remembered as somebody important. After being saved from a sloppy attempts at attempting to be a record high diver by Superman, Joe was given a job as caretaker at the Superman Museum. Cleaning up a place that is a homage to the world's greatest super-hero did nothing to change Joe's outlook on life except for the fact that he has become resentful of Superman and Batman's accomplishments. One night while cleaning in a room where trophies of the Legion of Super-Heroes were stored, lightning strikes the trophies and bombards Joe with strange energy. Amazingly, Joe gains the powers of all the Legion members. Inspired by his vendetta, he changes his shape into a composite Superman/Batman form and seek to upstage both Superman and Batman.

Suspecting Composite Superman's true motives, Batman and Superman stage a meeting for their "partner" to overhear and witness as Composite Superman eliminates robot duplicates of Superman and Batman. However, Composite Superman has seen through this ploy and threatens that if Superman, Batman or Robin go out in public in their costumed identities again he will reveal their secret identities to the world. Despite this, the three heroes resolve to find some way to defeat Composite Superman.

Their enemy spends the next few days building himself his very own fortress and begins plotting world domination. Finding the location of his fortress, Superman and Batman infiltrate it and face down Composite Superman. Although the villain easily over powers the two heroes, they note that with each attack his powers become weaker. Noticing this as well, Composite Superman returns to the Superman Museum to once more bombard the Legion statues with lightning in an attempt to restore his powers. However, he arrives too late and his powers wear off entirely. Finding that his memory of his experiences as Composite Superman fading, Joe attempts to write it down but doesn't finish in time to provide a full explanation. Later, with his memory of his experiences entirely gone, Joe comes across the half-finished message and wonder what he was trying to communicate and decide to keep the note for the time being. Meanwhile, Superman and Batman give up their search for Composite Superman, finding that he has disappeared for the time being.